


The Part of Me That's You

by flannelfeelings



Category: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV)
Genre: Amy Santiago Loves Jake Peralta, Baby Shower, Domestic Fluff, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Jake Peralta/Amy Santiago, F/M, Fluff, Happy, Happy Ending, He is not safe here sorry, Jake Peralta Loves Amy Santiago, Married Couple, Married Life, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Parents Jake Peralta/Amy Santiago, Pregnancy, Pregnant Amy Santiago, Protective Jake Peralta, Roger Peralta Bashing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-12 10:21:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29258883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flannelfeelings/pseuds/flannelfeelings
Summary: After Jake and Amy celebrate their upcoming arrival of their unborn son, the night takes an unexpected turn for the best.
Relationships: Jake Peralta/Amy Santiago
Comments: 6
Kudos: 70





	The Part of Me That's You

**Author's Note:**

> Tumblr: Anonymous said:  
> I'm so glad to hear you're doing requests again, I love your stories!! Can you do one about Amy's baby shower?  
> Tumblr: Anonymous said:  
> heyy how you doing? hope ur good! i just love your fanfics and i was wondering if you could write one amy is having the baby and wakes jake in the middle of they night and he is just freaking out?
> 
> Alright so I got two really great requests and decided they would be perfect together. I loved writing this it was so fun and cute, love both of these ideas so thank you so so much for sending them!! I hope I did it justice, please excuse any mistakes. I seem to only get inspired at like midnight. 
> 
> All hail pregnant amy and daddy jake. my M.O. forever apparently and I am not complaining

Amongst a clatter of dishes and random kitchen items being hastily organized, Jake heard the sound of a sniffle. It normally wouldn’t have given him pause, however, he knew the source was his heavily pregnant wife, currently preparing for their baby shower.

Amy’s mom wasn’t able to fly out for it due to her father having an unexpected hip surgery, and while Jake’s mom Karen had offered, they politely declined and said they’d handle it. As much as they loved Karen, she was about as good as Jake with planning and organizing. Besides, their apartment was closer to everyone they’d invited anyway.

This meant all of the planning fell on Amy, and Jake, who was determined to help out in any way possible. It was a lot of stress, especially since Amy tended to be a bit of a perfectionist. Hell, she was sometimes even a raging lunatic. A raging lunatic he loved very much though.

“Babe?” Jake poked his head in the kitchen doorway, smiling briefly at the neatly organized Harry Potter themed decor that they’d spent all morning setting up, “Everything alright?”

Amy was standing in front of the sink, leaning over it with her shoulders slumped forward, sniffling quietly. Jake moved forward with concern creasing his brow, her stance sending signals that she was clearly upset.

“Ames?” Jake kept his voice calm, though there was a worried urgency hidden beneath his smooth cadence, “What’s wrong?”

Wordlessly, Amy held up her left hand, another wobbly sniffle making its way out of her nose. Jake frowned in confusion, then noticed her ring finger was swollen and red, the wedding ring around the skin pinching uncomfortably.

“I-I can’t get it off.” she wept, “My hands have swollen so much. This never happened to my mom. I don’t want to ruin my ring. It’s hurting me.”

Jake’s brows pulled up with sympathy at the sight of his wife’s angry-looking finger. The pregnancy hadn’t exactly been easy on her, and this seemed to be the final nail in the coffin.

She loved her wedding ring, she never took it off. She’d made it almost to completely full term without having to abandon it. She was due in less than three weeks and now she suddenly had an unpleasant new symptom. Pregnancy sucked.

“I’m sorry babe.” Jake took her hand in his and examined the finger carefully, “Don’t worry, we’ll get it off.”

“I won’t cut it.” Amy shook her head resolutely, wiping at her wet eyes.

“What have you tried?” Jake asked.

“Um, the dish soap, and some of the hand lotion too. And some olive oil. Nothing’s working.”

“Okay, go sit down.” Jake gestured toward the kitchen table, and Amy nodded, seeming hesitant but willing to listen to her husband. She watched as he began puttering around the kitchen, grabbing a few items he'd need.

“Here.” Jake set a bowl of ice water on the table and gently took her hand, submerging it, “I know it’s cold but give it a minute or two to help the swelling, okay?”

Amy nodded dutifully, and he knew she’d do it with no complaints. Amy didn’t back down from a challenge that easily.

While Amy iced her finger, Jake headed down the hall toward the bathroom, thumbing through their cabinets until he found what he was looking for. He returned quickly, and removed Amy’s hand from the water. The redness hadn’t abated, but the swelling looked just the slightest bit better.

Delicately, Jake took her hand in his and unwound a strand of dental floss from the package he’d grabbed. He wrapped the floss around her finger on the swollen skin above the ring, just below her knuckle. Amy winced a bit, and he glanced up at her.

“You okay?” Jake checked.

“Yes,” she replied, “Just a little uncomfortable.”

“Sorry babe. Almost done.”

Jake finished wrapping the skin, compressing it enough that he could grab hold of the ring and slowly twist it up the length of her finger. He was able to get it over her knuckle with a bit of finagling, and finally it slid off, where it clinked on the kitchen table. Jake quickly unwound the floss from her stiff finger and rubbed her irritated skin between his index and thumb gently.

“All better?” He inquired with a small smile.

Amy’s watery eyes lifted from her finger and met Jake’s, and a smile broke out across her face. God, she was the most beautiful woman in the world.

“Thank you.” She breathed, looking a little awed, “How did you know that would work?”

Jake’s cheeks felt hot as he admitted, “When I was in tenth grade I broke my finger playing dodgeball.”

Amy frowned curiously, as if she needed more explanation.

“Oh, yeah, I was wearing my dad’s class ring. My busted finger swelled up around it and I had to figure out how to get the ring off. My mom actually showed me that trick.”

Amy studied him for a moment, eyes searching his face. Just as Jake was starting to fidget under her gaze, she said, “You never told me you wore your dad’s class ring.”

Jake chuckled, shrugging nonchalantly, “I used to. I stopped after that, actually. It was kind of a ‘ _what’s the point of wearing this stupid thing anyway? He doesn’t care about you.’_ sort of situation. But it was really all I had of him when he wasn’t there. He left it in my mom’s jewelry box and she let me wear it."

His wife kept her eyes on his face steadily, “Where is it now?”

Jake took a moment to think about it, chewing on his lower lip as he tried to recall what had happened to the old thing after he stopped wearing it every day, “I think we sold it one time when we were short on rent. At least it served some purpose.”

Jake noticed one Amy’s hand moving to rest on his thigh, giving him a gentle squeeze. She always made some sort of comforting gesture when they talked about his dad, and he loved her for that. He didn’t really need it, things were okay with Roger lately. He wasn’t sure if they’d stay that way forever, but he was going to make the most of it.

He’d made it clear to his father that if he wanted to be involved in their baby’s life, Roger was going to take it seriously. If he disappeared, that was it. He wouldn’t be allowed back in their son’s life. Jake wouldn’t let him do to his child what Roger had done to Jake. He had the chance to protect another kid from ever feeling that pain, and he was going to do everything in his power to follow through.

“I’m sorry.” Amy murmured quietly, “That you had to do that. I’m sure it was hard to part with.”

Jake offered her a brief smile, “It wasn’t. And _you_ have nothing to be sorry for. Ever.” he leaned in and placed his palm flat over her swollen stomach, waiting for a moment to feel the surefire rapid kicks of their baby.

Jake felt the familiar nudge against his palm, and his smile widened, “Besides, I’m not that sad kid anymore, Ames. I get to have a new job now.” he patted her belly once before rising from the table, cupping her cheek with his hand and planting a quick kiss on her nose, “I get to be the dad now.”

“And you’re going to be the best one ever.” Amy reminded him, catching his hand and kissing his knuckles sweetly.

“You sure you don’t wanna wait until after you’ve had my food to say that?” Jake teased.

Amy had entrusted him to prepare all of the food for today (except for the cake, which Charles and Genevieve had generously offered to bring), and while he was confident in his cooking abilities most of the time, it was a big responsibility to basically cater their baby shower.

Amy stood from the table too with a small huff of effort, and grabbed her ring. She removed her necklace and looped the ring on the chain, clasping it back around her neck and pressing her hand over the ring where it now lay between her breasts, next to her heart. She sighed contentedly and looked at Jake.

“Even if the food sucks we still get presents. It’s a win-win for me.”

Jake laughed as he turned to head down the hall to finish grabbing the rest of their decorations, “I love you Santiago, you’re so consistent.”

* * *

Jake had no doubts that the party would go off without a hitch. It had been planned by Amy Santiago, of course.

The decorations came together perfectly, wizarding world baby-themed games, a sign that said _“Welcome Little Wizard”_ all sorts of really corny, but actually kinda cute shit that Jake never would’ve picked out, but loved anyway. It was a little cheesy and stupid, they both acknowledged it, but it made them happy. It was fun and exciting and the perfect way to celebrate their upcoming bundle of joy.

Punctual as always, Holt and Kevin arrived right on time, Terry and Sharon pulling up just after them. Holt was burdened with a small yellow envelope that he held against his chest protectively. Terry and Sharon had come bearing bags of old baby clothes and armfuls of presents, the girls running in after them excitedly. Charles, Gen and Niko showed up shortly after, Charles with a large Harry Potter themed cake and Genevieve with Niko and a few presents in her arms.

Kylie and a few other friends of Amy’s came, Karen arrived as well, wrapping Amy in a bone-crushing hug and gushing about the organic baby food maker she’d gotten for them. She never could keep a secret. Rosa showed up last, fashionably late of course, with her leather jacket on and her bike helmet tucked under her arm. She didn’t appear to have brought a gift (not that anyone cared, the invite said no gift necessary) but she seemed ready to tolerate an afternoon of what she’d normally describe as hell.

The festivities kicked off flawlessly. Amy led a blind baby-food taste test that Charles won by a landslide, which was concerning to say the least. Guests mingled and took guesses for the due date and put their names in a raffle to be the first to get a call once the baby was born. Even the stringent Kevin and shy Kylie seemed to be getting into the spirit.

Jake found Rosa and the captain standing by the kitchen entryway, both nursing glasses of chardonnay (gracious as Amy was, even though she couldn’t drink, she insisted no one else should have to suffer through this sober) and chatting quietly.

“Refill anyone?” Jake asked as he brandished the bottle of chardonnay.

Rosa held her glass out with a smirk, though Holt shook his head and took another slow sip from his. Jake filled Rosa’s glass, and looked up at the pair hesitantly before he spoke.

“Hey, um...I just wanna say, thanks for coming today. I know it isn’t either of your things, but we are really glad you’re here. Amy’s family hasn’t been able to be here to support her much during this, and well I don’t exactly have much family to start. So, you guys coming means a lot to us.”

Rosa snorted, “Don’t be stupid, that’s the squad's baby, Jake. It’s all of our thing.”

“I concur.” Holt agreed steadily, “We are all thrilled about the arrival of a new 99 member, and happy to be here in any way that you need.”

It was high praise from both of them, and Jake didn’t take it for granted, “Thank you guys.” he cocked an eyebrow up, “Also, don’t love the _‘squad baby’_ thing.”

“Too late, already buying him a tiny bullet proof vest and a badge.” Rosa said in a flat voice.

“Yes and I have outfitted a onesie with a handgun holster.” Holt tacked on, though the small twinge of his lip told Jake he was just playing along.

“At least you make eachother laugh.” Jake saluted the duo and headed back into the belly of the beast, though he was comforted by their clipped, genuine words of kindness.

-

The day seemed to fly by. Jake’s food was a hit; a large assortment of homemade finger foods. Cocktail weenies, chicken wings, a -store bought- veggie assortment (at Amy’s insistence, though she and Terry were the only ones who showed interest in it), a butterbeer station, potato salad, and several other sides and desserts. They ate and laughed and the parents shared horror stories of raising kids, while their offspring squealed and ran around the living room.

Jake and Amy unwrapped more gifts than they could possibly ever know what to do with. A diaper genie from Terry and Sharon, the baby food maker from Karen, several boxes of diapers, wipes and bottle cleaning tools from Charles and Gen, a surprisingly perfect stroller from Rosa (that she’d had Charles and Gen bring in their car) and a $1,000 check from Holt and Kevin. That had Jake and Amy balking, looking at the two men with confusion written across their faces.

“What is this?” Jake demanded with wide-eyes. 

Holt and Kevin exchanged a look, and the professor said, “A child is a large expense. We assumed this would go further than a pack of diapers.”

“This is so generous.” Amy blinked rapidly, and Jake could see the tears threatening her eyes, “You shouldn’t have.”

“We assumed the no-gift rule on the invitation was more a show of politeness.” Holt said matter-of-factly.

“You’re gonna be the best robot grandparents ever!” Jake grinned, and it earned a laugh from the group. Though he’d said it teasingly, his eyes met the captain’s, and they shared a brief moment. Appreciation from Jake, and acknowledgement from Holt. They needed no further words.

As things were winding to a close and guests began to filter out, citing genuine needs to get back to their responsibilities, Jake noticed he hadn’t seen Amy in a while. He headed down the hall for a moment, looking for the guest of honor. Jake nudged their bedroom door open and his eyes widened at the sight of his wife bent in half beside their bed, hands on her swollen stomach with her face screwed up in visible pain.

“Amy!” Jake let the door fall shut behind him and rushed to her side.

“I’m fine, I’m fine!” she managed weakly, “Just braxton hicks again. I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?” Jake asked worriedly, noticing the stiff tension coursing throughout her body.

“It’s okay.” She promised him breathlessly, “I’ve been having them a lot today.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?!” Jake demanded, rubbing her back tenderly.

“I was enjoying the party.” She shrugged, standing up straighter as the contraction passed, “I could mostly ignore them until this one hit.”

“So they’re getting worse?” Jake inquired nervously.

“Don’t get excited.” Amy warned him, “This baby isn’t due for another three weeks.”

“Santiagos are notoriously early.” Jake reminded her gently, still keeping his hands pressed on her back as she stood back to her normal posture.

“We’ll see about that.” she winked at him and exhaled quickly, “Back to it!” And she headed for the bedroom door.

Jake would have to keep an eye on her.

* * *

By the time everyone had finally left, Karen being the last to go, Jake and Amy were left with a quiet apartment. Karen and Kylie had been kind enough to stay behind and help clean up, so they didn’t have much mess to contend with. Though, they did have a living room full of unboxed diapers, wipes, and tons of baby stuff.

“I’ll get started on that mess next week.” Amy gestured to the huge collection that would need to be organized and put away in the nursery, “I don’t have the energy this weekend.”

“I’m off early Tuesday night.” Jake said as they clicked off the lights and headed down the hall toward their shared bedroom, “Let’s do it then. I don’t want you moving all that stuff alone.”

Normally, Amy would blow off his concern and do it herself anyway. However, as she grew further and further along, she seemed to be able to sense Jake’s tension and protectiveness. He felt as though it was his responsibility to take care of her and their unborn baby, and if she did anything to put them at risk, he felt guilty, like he wasn’t doing enough. He couldn’t help it, he was pretty sure it was the fatherly instincts. He was grateful either way that she’d started listening to him when he asked her to not do everything by herself.

“Okay babe.” Amy agreed as they entered the bedroom and she headed into the bathroom to shower. Jake opted to take one in the morning and stripped down to his boxers, climbing into bed with a sigh of relief.

Amy’s shower was a little longer than normal, and she entered the bedroom wrapped in a big fluffy towel. Her waddle seemed more prominent somehow, maybe because she was tired. Jake watched her cross the room toward her dresser, dropping the towel to her feet as she perused for some pajamas.

He couldn’t help that his eyes roamed across her beautiful, incredible body. It had changed drastically over the past nine months, hips widening to make room for her large stomach. She looked absolutely beautiful. Dark skin with pale stretch marks adorning her sides and the underside of her belly, wavy black hair over her shoulders, muscled legs and round ass as perky as ever.

Somewhere along the line, Jake must have accrued some really good karma.

“Hey Sarge.” he rolled over on his stomach and watched her as she turned to face him, “You’re sexy.”

Amy rolled her eyes, shaking her head in the dismissive way she tended to when she didn’t take him seriously, “Yeah, sure. Me and the fifty extra pounds I’ve picked up.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Jake hopped out of bed and crossed the floor quickly, circling his arms around her waist. His hands came to rest gently on her middle, face burrowing in the crook of her neck as he inhaled the fresh smell of her coconut shampoo.

“The most beautiful woman on the planet.” He murmured into her skin, squeezing her a little tighter against his body, “The best mom in the world, and the most out-of-my league person I’ve ever been lucky enough to kiss. Let alone marry and impregnate.”

Amy chuckled slightly, sighing with contentment as her own hands came to rest over Jake’s where they lay on her belly, “You sure know all the right things to say, Peralta.”

“All the true things.” He reminded her warmly.

Before she could respond, a strangled noise took over from Amy’s throat. Jake was confused for a second, then he felt something incredibly strange. Her stomach tensed against his hands, hardened almost painfully. His wife shuddered in his grasp and let out a pained whine.

“Oh my god, I _felt_ that. Amy was that a-”

“Just braxton hicks.” She gasped, her fists clenching and eyes squeezing shut.

Jake removed his hands from her stomach and turned her around to face him, cupping her cheeks in his hands, “Amy, look at me. Are you sure that wasn’t a real-”

“I’m sure.” She let out a long exhale, then straightened up, shoulders relaxing, “All better.”

Jake watched her unsurely. She moved toward the dresser and grabbed her pajamas (which consisted of a gigantic t-shirt she’d stolen from Terry years ago and a pair of underwear) and dressed quickly. Her movements didn’t seem pained or uncomfortable, so Jake tried to calm down. Maybe he was overreacting. His wife would know her own body better than him. He didn’t want to be overbearing.

Jake joined her in their bed, climbing in beside her to wrap her body up in his arms. She curled up beside him, resting her face on his chest, her large middle putting a bit of distance between them. Her arms wrapped around his bare stomach and she nestled as close as possible.

“You okay?” Jake asked her quietly, voice breaking through the silence in the dark.

“Mmhmm.” She murmured tiredly. He knew the rise and fall of his chest was already starting to lull her into a content sleep. It had been quite a tiring day for the both of them.

“I love you Amy.”

“I love you Jake.”

He tried to quash his own worries, cuddling her close and letting his eyes shut, choosing instead to focus on their soft breathing to fall asleep. 

* * *

Jake awoke to the sound of ragged breathing. It took a moment for his eyes to fully crack open, not adjusted to the darkness yet. His first instinct was to sweep the side of the bed, reaching for his wife’s form, but it was empty. That woke him up a little more.

He sat up and clicked on the bedside lamp, eyes widening as he noticed Amy curled over the side of the bed, panting heavily. He sprang into action, climbing out of bed and crossing over to squat beside her so he could see her face. She was clearly in pain, trying to breathe through it. Her fists were clenching the sheets beside her, eyes squeezed shut against the pain.

“Ames.” Jake’s voice was urgent, though he was desperately trying to stay calm.

“Jake,” She whined, grabbing his biceps and clinging on to him, “It’s- the baby is coming.”

The color drained from his face at her words. Jake forced himself to inhale slowly, staying calm for her sake. They’d known this was a possibility, but it was still a little early. They were in safety range though, at 37 weeks there wasn’t much risk.

“Are you sure?” He asked her quietly, “It’s not braxton hicks?”

“I lost my mucus plug in the shower.” she said through her teeth, “I think these contractions are the real deal.”

Jake felt his heartbeat speed up at this. He remembered reading about that phenomenon in the latest baby book. If she’d lost that, it meant the baby would be following within the next 48 hours. These contractions really were the real deal. They were going to have their baby.

“Holy shit.” Jake managed, “You’re in labor?”

Amy exhaled with relief as the contraction passed, “I’m in labor.”

“You’re in labor.” Jake repeated stupidly, “Labor. You are. The baby. We’re having-”

“Yes, Yoda!” Amy let out a strained chuckle, “Calm down Jake. It’s still gonna be a while.”

Jake forced another deep breath into his lungs and nodded, trying to regain his composure, “Right. What do you need, what can I do?”

“Just… can you hold me for a while?” Amy’s voice was small, a little vulnerable, “This might be our last night alone.”

Her words struck a chord, and Jake realized she was right. This was really happening. Not too long from now, they’d be sharing their home with a baby. Their baby.

“Wow.” Jake said as he climbed back up on the bed and took Amy’s shaking body into his arms, “He’s really coming.”

“Scary.” Amy murmured.

“Hey,” Jake squeezed her a little tighter, and she glanced up to meet his eyes, “If there is _anyone_ who can do this, it’s you Amy. You’re the best at everything, so I already know you’re going to be the best at giving birth.”

“I wonder if there’s any sort of record…” She mused quietly, more to herself than anything.

“We’re going to have the healthiest, easiest delivery ever.” Jake assured her with a small smile, “I’d bet on it.”

“Me too.” Amy snuggled a little closer and sighed with contentment, “I’m glad I get to do this with you.”

“So am I. I’m going to be right by your side through all of it, I promise. Just tell me what you need, okay? And I’m here.”

Amy hesitated, then asked, “You don’t want to...organize all the baby shower stuff, do you?”

Jake looked down at her, “Is that what you want to do?”

“I mean, we’ve got hours to go...it would be nice to have it done before he gets here.” she shrugged.

Jake would’ve been surprised, if his wife was anyone else on Earth. But luckily, she wasn’t. She was Amy Santiago.

“I will organize everything.” Jake said, “You’re welcome to supervise from the couch. But so help me god if you try to move _anything_ -”

“Scouts honor.” Amy interrupted, “I’ll sit on my ass and delegate.”

So they headed into their living room, the clock inching past two AM. Jake sat on the floor and began separating things into piles, while Amy laid out on the couch, rubbing her belly and ordering Jake where things needed to go.

It took a few hours, and they had to pause every so often for Jake to help Amy through a contraction, but they progressed through the night. The sun came up through the windows, illuminating the quickly clearing living room as they worked.

As it were, they ended up just finishing everything on time for Amy’s water to break. Jake was relieved they lived close to the hospital, and Amy was relieved they’d made such good time and would come home to a prepared nursery.

And after a healthy, incredible delivery, McClane Raymond Peralta came into the world. Ahead of schedule, but somehow right on time.

Not that any of that mattered.

Because he was here. And everything else was just details.

**Author's Note:**

> my tumblr is boopernatural if youd like to make a request!


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